


If We Go Down (Then We Go Down Together)

by Dr3amingInColour, MerlinSpecter



Category: Formula 1 RPF, Formula E RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hostage Situations, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 22:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13444863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr3amingInColour/pseuds/Dr3amingInColour, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinSpecter/pseuds/MerlinSpecter
Summary: “What if I die now? I'm too young for this, too young to die.” he whispered back in fear, afraid of the worst happening.Or, spies in Paris.





	If We Go Down (Then We Go Down Together)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [ten seconds before sunrise](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13255158) by [circuitricardoporno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/circuitricardoporno/pseuds/circuitricardoporno). 



> This one's for the amazing writer, aka Hazel. And to be honest, she was the main inspiration behind this, as was her amazing spies fic that came first. Go check that one out plz :)

Max was woken up abruptly by a loud bang in his living room. He sat up and quietly opened his bedside drawer, taking out the small gun he kept there for moments like this. He slowly walked to the door, which was slightly ajar.

Max could count 5 men in his apartment, searching through his belongings and throwing everything they didn’t need all over the floor. He could see one of them making their way to the bedroom and knew it was now or never.

He started to pull the trigger, bullets ricocheting in all directions, impacting some of the men, so only 2 were left standing. He pulled the trigger again and cursed when he heard an all too familiar click, signaling that he was out of bullets. Throwing the gun aside, he dropped to his stomach behind the couch as one of the two remaining men aimed their gun at him.

Thankfully, Max still had a few tranquilising darts left, and stabbed the first man in the back of the leg with one, causing him to fall to the floor. The other man still held his gun towards Max, but the Dutchman showed no fear, shoving another dart into his shoulder. This released his grip on the gun, meaning Max could easily grab it. He shot at the 5 guys, making sure they were 100% dead, before walking out of the door, away from the destruction.

Max stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his neighbour’s door was open, the guy standing in the hall, staring at him with a confused expression on his face.

“What did you see?” Max questioned immediately, kicking the door to his appartement closed behind him. His neighbour just gaped at him, glancing towards the door. Max sighed.

“Listen, Daniel right? You’ve seen too much. If others came back for them, they’d probably kill you along the way. I've got a flight for Paris in 5 hours, you’re coming with me.” Max told him. “Or else…” Max trailed off, reaching for his gun, pointing it directly at Daniel. “I shoot you now. Understood?”

Dan’s shocked expression remained at Max’s words, all he knew was that he didn’t want to be shot in the very moment. He gave a quick nod and the gun was lowered.

“Alright, I’m Max. I’ll pick you up in 5 hours, and we leave for Paris, no questions. If you try to run, I will find you. My men know who you are, Daniel. They will find you, they will kill you.”

Max turned and entered his appartement, leaving a bewildered Daniel in the hallway.

 

It was just under 5 hours later when Daniel heard a knock on his door again. He had meanwhile packed and repacked his bag multiple times, anxiously waiting for his strange neighbour to return. He didn’t know Max very well. They sometimes ran into each other in the mornings when Dan was leaving for work, but that was all the interaction they ever had. He had no idea what was going on, who Max really was. But being threatened at gunpoint didn’t really give him a choice but to just go with it, and hope it would all work out in the end.

He stood up from his couch to open the door for Max, who had meanwhile changed into a shirt without bloodstains. He could still see the cuts though, and previous scars, which didn’t bode well for what was about to happen. The pair eventually got in the car Max had, a 1970’s Ford cortina, quite cozy but not the fastest of vehicles.

The whole ride to the airport, Max didn’t speak. He seemed distracted and kept checking his phone every time they stopped for traffic. Daniel assumed he was some sort of criminal, maybe part of the mafia, or even a drug smuggler, considering he had a variety of large suitcases on him, and kept nervously checking his phone.

Max glanced at him as he felt Dan staring and sighed.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. It’s a really hard situation, but I promise it’ll all be over before you know it.” Max genuinely didn’t know when this situation would be over, all he knew was that 5 people were taken hostage, and that him, Sam & Jev were tasked with rescuing them. He knew they were in Paris, but apart from that, they had no leads. Dan just gave him a sceptical look, deciding to give Max the silent treatment.

The flight was quite peaceful, first class everything for the hour or so. When they excited the airport, they took the metro, remaining anonymous on the streets. Dan followed Max on the journey, afraid Max would threaten to shoot him again if he refused.

They stopped in front of a small bookshop.

“Wait out here.” Max told him, entering on his own. Dan glanced through the shop window and saw Max’s back was turned to him. He didn’t hesitate, taking what might be the last opportunity for him to leave. He quickly walked away, into the nearest metro station, and grabbed the first train he could find. His heart was pounding as he looked around, looking out for any signs Max was following him. He noticed someone watching him, wavy brown hair lifting slightly when gusts of wind entered the carriage.

The metro arrived at the next station and Dan stood up, walking out with the other passengers. He glanced back to find the brown haired man following him, obviously after Daniel. Daniel started to panic. In his rush to leave, he hadn’t even brought his bag with him, let alone something to defend himself with.

He dashed into one of the narrow alleyways, hoping it would be a shortcut rather than a dead end. He yelped when he was suddenly pulled behind one of the large garbage containers. A hand was pressed tightly over his mouth as Dan struggled. The owner of said hand pulled Dan a little further into the shadows, until they were standing with Dan’s back pressed flush against a warm chest.

“Calm down.” someone snapped in his ear. There was no doubt that it was Max. Dan did as he was told, slumping down against Max. They could hear someone enter the alley, take a few steps around, hesitate and then leave again.

Dan sighed in relief before struggling to get free of Max. He stumbled as Max let go. Dan turned around and glared at his neighbour, who just rolled his eyes in return.

“I saved you, stop being so angry.” Max told him, brushing himself off.

“Yeah well, you also kidnapped me, so I think I was the right to complain.” Dan answered him. Still, there was a part of him that was starting to trust Max. Max threw his bag at him.

“Next time you try to run off, taking your stuff actually helps, trust me.” Max told him, taking his own bags. “Oh, can I use your phone for a moment?” Max continued.

“Why? You have your own.” Dan answered with a frown. Max sighed in annoyance and just held out his hand. After a short staring contest, which Dan failed at miserably, Dan rolled his eyes and handed him to phone.

Max barely even glanced at it before dropping it on the ground and crushing it with the heel of his foot.

“What the… What the hell did you do that for?!” Dan exclaimed. Max shrugged.

“It’s easy to track a phone, it’s too dangerous.” he said, reaching into his pocket. He took out a small flip phone and threw it to Daniel.

“My number is programmed already, only use it when you’re in trouble, okay?” Dan pulled a face at him when Max turned his back, but nonetheless still followed after him.

“And if you didn't figure it out already, I'm a spy. The stuff you see in movies, stuff like James Bond, I do that too. But Bond, he’s got nothing on us.”

At that moment, the 2 other men revealed themselves to Daniel, one being the long haired man from the metro, another a smaller man he didn't recognise. Daniel automatically stepped closer to Max, but once he realised he had done that, he immediately took two steps away.

“This is Sam, he usually backs me up in fights.” Max said, pointing towards the small brunette to his right.

“And this is Jean-Eric, but you can call him jev. He does all the computer work, any data you need just ask him, he’ll find it for you.” Max explained, gesturing towards the other man, who gave a shy wave. Dan awkwardly gave a wave in return, before turning back to Max.

“So what exactly are we doing in Paris?” Dan asked him.

“We can’t exactly explain that to you yet, but right now, we’re going to a safe house.” Max said, and with another word, he took off. Sam rolled his eyes and followed, while Jev waited for Daniel to reach him.

“He gets friendlier after a while… He’s just stressed.” Jev gave him an apologetic smile.

“Yeah well it can’t exactly get any worse.” Dan mumbled in return, following Jev to the others.

The safe house was actually rather cozy, if you ignored the worn furniture and dust hanging in the air. The others seemed to know their way around, moving to put away their stuff, while Dan awkwardly stood in the middle of the small living room, unsure what was expected of him. There were only 2 bedrooms, and it seemed clear Sam & Jev were occupying one together, which meant he’d most likely be sharing with Max, if at all he lived that long.

Max gestured Dan to follow, walking into the bedroom. There was only a double bed, and Dan raised an eyebrow at Max when he saw it. Max gave him an unimpressed look.

“It’s this or the couch, and I tell you, the couch is about as comfortable as a brick. Besides, I probably won’t sleep much anyways.” Max said as he opened a small dresser in the corner. Throwing Dan a towel, he pointed to the door on Dan’s left.

“Bathroom’s through there. Sam is going out to get us some food, so you’ll have about half an hour.”

The shower was warm and calmed his nerves, looking back on the last day. 24 hours ago, he was finishing his job for the day, looking forwards to spending the weekend with a couple of his mates. Now, he was in the middle of Paris, effectively kidnapped by spies. This wasn't the ideal Saturday night he had in mind, he wanted to have a few beers whilst watching sports events and prime time tv, not fear being shot if he didn't obey the spies.

He was still unsure if he could trust Max. Even though his strange neighbour had held him at gunpoint and threatened him more than one, he really didn’t seem to want to hurt Dan. If anything, it was to protect him, at least that's what Daniel believed deep down. And though he was terrified, he knew he’d be fine with 3 spies on his side.

Dan got out of the shower and dried off. With the towel wrapped around his waist, he went into the bedroom, noticing that a slight blush crept onto Max's cheeks when he walked into their shared room.

“I’ll… um… just get changed yeah?” Dan said. Max looked up at him and gave him a small smile, blush intensifying slightly. Dan was slightly confused by the way Max kept glancing at his chest, but then he remembered he was only wearing the towel around his waist. Now it was his time to blush.

He unpacked an old t shirt from his bag, recognising the band on the front. He quickly slipped it on. Turning back, he still found Max watching him. Dan felt insecure, he knew he was probably not even close to being as fit and muscled as a spy, and that was probably why Max was watching him with such a strange expression.

The front door opened and both men were snapped out of their thoughts.

“That would be dinner.” Max said, before leaving the room. “I think we’re having something with fish, considering that’s what the 2 idiots bought.”

Dan quickly finished getting dressed and wandered downstairs, following the sounds of laughter and clattering to the kitchen. Just as Dan entered the room, he saw Sam lose balance, crashing to the floor, Jev being pulled with him. Jev fell directly on top of Sam, who burst out laughing

“Get off! You’re heavy.” Sam whined, but continued smiling anyway. Jev rolled his eyes and dipped his head, pressing his lips against Sam’s, who kissed back without hesitation. Max finally looked up to see Dan still standing in the doorway, and shook his head, a grin on his face.

“You get used to it after a while.” Max said, and then gestured for Dan to sit down. Dan did, and eyed the food on the table with interest, suddenly realising how hungry he was.

That wasn’t the only thing playing on his mind though, Sam & Jev’s kiss etched as a memory. If he was being honest, Daniel just wanted someone to love like that, it was clear to see that Sam & Jev were very much in love. Max pushed a plate in his direction and when Dan looked up to thank him, he found Max looking at him again, head slightly tilted with a small frown.

“...Do I have something on my face?” Dan hesitantly asked, not really understanding why Max would be staring at him otherwise. Max looked surprised at his question, but before he could answer, Sam and Jev flopped down on their chairs as well, still laughing.

“So, Daniel, was it?” Sam said with a kind smile, a clear British accent to his words.

“Yeah, I usually just go by Dan though.” Dan answered

“Well, nice to meet you Dan. I'm Sam, you've got Jean Eric in here, but call him Jev. And I see you’ve already settled with Max. All 3 of us are spies, working for Phoenix, a spy organisation originally from the city in Arizona, but let’s just say this is the French branch of the organisation” Sam said, poking Jev when he spoke about the French branch. Jev gave him an exasperated look.

“Yes, I think everyone understands now that I’m French, Sammy.” Jev replied with a wink, before earning a brief kiss on the cheek from said Brit.

“So why exactly am I here? I’ve got a degree in computer science, that hardly makes me spy material.” Dan interrupted them.

“Oh you do? That’s great, Daniel! I was needing a little help, and finally the right guy comes along!” Jev answered, suddenly looking really excited.

“Jev, you have a boyfriend, stop flirting with Daniel!” Max suddenly yelled, causing Jev to raise an eyebrow at Sam with a knowing reaction, which Sam returned. Dan looked at all three of them, really confused as to what the hell was going on.

There was an awkward silence, until Jev cleared his throat.

“So eh… Max didn’t tell you Sam and I were together, did he?” he asked Dan, who shook his head. Max groaned.

“Oh here comes the story again.”

\---

It was a dark night in Berlin when the ambush happened, tension hanging in the air as if something were about to happen. Sam was out in the field with Max, while Jev was back at the base, providing them with the technical support they needed for the break in. It had all seemed relatively quiet, and it was easy to get in the building, way too easy.

The pair ran through the corridors to find the headquarters of AMG, aiming to capture their new vehicle files, which would massively advantage Phoenix. Suddenly, there was a lot of noise, men running into both ends of the corridor, trapping them with no escape.

Sam could hear Jev yelling at them through his earpiece, asking them what was going on. Normally, Sam always made sure to answer Jev, not wanting him to worry too much. But this time, before he could, he felt a sharp prick in his leg, before his vision went dark. The last things Sam remembered were Max kneeling over him to cover him and Jev’s panicked calls in his ear.

He woke up in the hospital about a day later, someone holding his hand tightly. He could hear several voices talking in German, not quite understanding why he was there. He was due to fly to Amsterdam that night, so being stuck in Berlin was the last thing he expected. He opened his eyes with a groan, startling everyone in the room. He turned his head to the side and saw that it was Jev who was holding his hand. What worried Sam was that Jev looked like he had been crying fairly recently. Sam frowned.

“Jev..? What’s going on.” his voice sounded weird, almost sluggish. Jev reached up to wipe some tears of his face. Sam saw his hand was shaking.

“You… you’re alive, Sam, I… I thought you were…” Jev trailed off, stuttering slightly. “I thought you were dead.” Sam frowned. His brain felt too heavy to think.

“I’m not, right? Dead I mean.” Sam said. Jev let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

“I’m very much alive, you are too Sam.” a tear slipped down Jev’s cheek and Sam frowned some more.

“Why are you crying?” Sam asked, squeezing Jev’s hand.

“I can’t lose you, Sammy, you mean too much to me.” Jev answered truthfully, feeling another tear rolling down his cheek. Sam reached out to brush it away, realising just how close he was to Jev, and those lips he so dearly wanted to kiss. Jev stared back at him, desire running through his veins.

“You mean the world to me too, jev.” Sam said quietly. Jev’s face softened and a small smile settled, a feeling of content.

“I think I love you.” He whispered afterwards, almost inaudible. But those words didn't go unheard to Jean-Eric. The Frenchman looked almost bewildered but then smiled softly. He hesitantly leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on the Brit’s lips.Sam kissed back, placing a hand on Jev’s cheek, holding him close during the kiss.

“I almost forgot to say this, I think I love you too.” Jev whispered after he pulled away, their foreheads still resting together. The last thing he remembered before dozing off was wrapping his arms around Sam’s waist, spooning him in the hospital bed.

\---

“...And that’s the story of how Sam and I got together.” Jev finished with a pleased smile. Sam grinned and leaned closer, quickly stealing a kiss.

“Yeah, you keep telling everyone you were spooning on the hospital bed, but I really doubt that’s all that happened there.” Max said teasingly. Sam almost spat out his water and Jev blushed slightly, but eventually both started laughing, Dan joining in.

“It’s a really… romantic story.” Dan said. Sam smiled at him.

“And you, Dan, do you have a partner? A romantic story to tell us?” Sam asked with a wink.

“Well, my now ex girlfriend decided she’d break up with me 5 days before a romantic holiday we were meant to be going on. I honestly don't know what sucked more, losing her or the money on the holiday!” he tried to make a joke out of it, but the other three were watching him with rather pitiful expressions.

“Funnily enough, we were supposed to go to Paris on that holiday.” he tried again.

“This is your first time in Paris then?” Jev asked, trying to lighten the mood. Dan nodded. Max gave him a small smile.

“I’m sure we can find some time the coming days to do some minimal sightseeing.” he said. Dan smiled appreciatively, thankful these people weren't as bad as he thought they were at first.

\---

“So, I guess you’ve got a good foundation in computers. Jev will explain the context of the mission we’re working on, and you can come down with us to the gym once you know the basics.” Max explained over breakfast. Dan was sitting in between him and Jev, who looked really excited at having someone to help him.

“I’ll tell you guys now, actually.” Jev cut in, practically bouncing in his chair, excited to share the work they’d be doing that day. He elbowed Sam to hand him his laptop, the Brit doing so without really glancing up, too busy not trying to fall asleep on the table. It was clear Sam was definitely not a morning person.

As Jev searched for something on the laptop, Dan glanced towards Max, who seemed deep in thought. As far as Dan knew, the two of them had slept in the same bed last night, but Max hadn’t been there yet when Dan had fallen asleep, and was already gone when Dan woke up. He didn’t really understand whether it was truly Max’s schedule, or whether he was just trying to avoid him.

Max hadn’t intentionally waited for Dan to fall asleep, but so much had happened over the last day or so, that he had just needed some time to think. By the time he finally decided he needed sleep, Dan was already curled up on one of the sides of the bed, fast asleep.

He glanced at Dan a couple of times as he got ready for bed. He was careful not to make too much noise, but after a while, it became clear that there was nothing that would wake Dan up.

He frowned as he thought back to what Dan had told them at dinner. Of course it sucked that his girlfriend had left him, but what had hit Max most about the story was the fact that it had been a girlfriend. Part of him secretly hoped it would be a boyfriend, so there was a chance he could make a move, but no such luck was granted.

Max tossed and turned all night, not really getting a lot of sleep besides an odd hour or so. When he saw the sun come up at the other side of the curtain, he just gave up entirely and got up. He felt completely drained, and training with Sam was the last thing he wanted to do today. Still, he knew it was important to train, especially now that they had to protect Dan as well, who, as far Max knew at least, had no fighting experience at all.

Jev had meanwhile finally found the file he was looking for. Jev might have been a tech expert, but that didn’t mean he had a good system for saving the files, often resulting in him forgetting where he could find them.

Jev turned the laptop towards Dan. The screen showed a website from what seemed like a exclusive party. It was being held in a super posh mansion, the type that would attract people like Liberty, the organisation that kidnapped their staff.

“As far as we know, they’ve still got 5 of our people, the rest are already dead.” Sam said, expression sullen. “We need to be as quick as we can, there is no guarantee they will be kept alive for long. There must be someone at that party that can tell us where they’re being kept.”

“So… What is my part in this?” Dan asked.

“If you read the invite, it says couples only. I’m fine with jev, but you’ll have to fake it with Max if you stand any chance of getting this information.” Sam told him. Max glanced towards him with otherwise stared intently at his empty plate. Dan slowly nodded.

“Okay… but if anything happens there… I won’t be a lot of help, I hardly know how to punch someone.” Dan said, smiling sheepishly. Jev nodded.

“That’s why you need to go with Sam and Max later, they’ll make sure you’ll know at least the basics.”

“Alrightey, can’t wait.” Dan managed to smile, but he knew it was clear that he was nervous.

\----

“Right, you know the plan. Me and Sam are going off to mingle for a bit, you 2 need to also go mingle for a bit, and if we find any urgent leads, you’ll feel a small electric shock in your wrist. Same goes for you 2, if you find any urgent leads, the button in the left pocket of your suit jacket, okay.” Jev explained. The others nodded at him, and before Dan knew, he was alone with Max in the crowd. Max gave him a small smile.

“Are you nervous?” he asked. Dan nodded, before clutching tighter onto his arm. Max started pulling him along through the crowd, smiling politely at whoever they passed.

They quickly got handed 2 flutes of champagne by a butler, and with each sip, Daniel could feel his nerves easing. All he needed to do was keep holding on to Max, and wait for the electric shock, whilst trying to find out information along the way.

The party was rather uneventful for most part. A couple of times they stopped to talk to small groups of people, Dan blushing whenever Max introduced him as his partner. Throughout the evening, it became easier to hold Max’s arm and pretend to be in love. A couple of times, when it seemed the other guests were a little hesitant to believe they were together, Max would press a soft kiss to Dan’s temple, pulling him for just a moment.

Max might have seemed relaxed and content as he wandered around with Dan, but Daniel could feel him tense when someone approached them, it was only momentarily, but still noticeable to Dan.

Dan sensed someone staring at them, the gaze burning in his back. He turned and saw a man was indeed watching them intently. He squeezed Max’s arm when he had turned back, giving him a nervous look. He leaned closer.

“Someone’s watching us” he whispered in Max’s ear. Max tensed and turned ever so briefly to look over his shoulder. He turned back with a slightly anxious expression. Max moved to wrap his arm securely around Dan’s waist, pulling him close to his side.

“What’s wrong” Dan quietly asked as they moved a little further away from the man.

“I know him.” Max answered.

“Oh… what do we do?” Dan asked, letting Max pull him along. Max seemed to hesitate.

“There is a balcony at the back, let’s go there for now. I’ll send a message to Sam to explain what happened. He can have a look to see if they truly recognized me and are searching for me.

The fresh air was a nice change to the mix of heavy perfume and aftershave in the venue, too many bodies pressed against theirs. They triggered the electric bracelets from Sam and Jev.

“So… Who is he?” Dan asked Max, leaning back against the edge.

“That’s Chase, leader of Liberty, the guys who are holding our men captive, the guys who also coordinated the attack on my house.” Max’s jaw tensed as he spoke. Dan nodded, not really sure what he had to do with that information.

“I guess we just need to follow them back, see where they end up. Maybe we can go from there?”

They walked back into the venue, spotting Sam and Jev not to far away from them. Max’s arm had yet again found its way around Dan’s waist, which Dan had come to consider as quite comfortable.

They tried to blend in as best they could till the party seemed to be ending. Max had kept an eye on Chase all night, making sure he wasn’t leaving early.

Max gave a quick nod to Jev and Sam, who would leave a little early to get the car ready to follow Chase. Once he saw Chase start to leave with his wife, he sent the shock down the bracelets, alerting the others that Chase was about to leave.

When they left the venue, their car came up front immediately, Jev and Sam already inside, the Frenchman behind the wheel. Max and Dan got in the back of the car, following the jet black porsche into the Paris suburbs, seeing the buildings slowly fading away. All of them stayed quiet as they drove, the tension thick in the air.

Eventually, the porsche pulled into a deserted warehouse, the site clearly abandoned years before. Jev parked their car a little further away, making sure they could clearly see the entrance of the building. They saw the 2 men walk into the building, guns clasped in their hands. Clearly they aimed to kill the hostages. Max cursed and Dan had to stop him from suddenly dashing out the car. He knew Max was upset, and above all angry, but knew rash decisions would not help in this case.

“Okay guys, leave it a few minutes, then slowly enter the building. Daniel, you can go in last with Max, me and Jev will lead the way.” Sam explained, getting his gun ready. Jev checked his was loaded, followed by Max and finally Daniel, whose hands were shaking slightly.

They waited until Sam deemed it safe to do so, leaping out the car and walking to the building entrance. Dan and Max waited outside, in the shadows of the building, as Sam and Jev carefully made their way inside. 

Dan could feel his heart race in his chest, his breathing becoming more shallow as he waited in the dark. He felt Max’s stare on him but tried to ignore it, focusing on calming down.

“Are you alright?” Max asked softly. Dan nodded, then hesitated, and shook his head instead.

“What if I die now? I'm too young for this, too young to die.” he whispered back in fear, afraid of the worst happening. Max nodded and sighed. He surprised Dan by taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. If Dan was being honest, he rather enjoyed the feeling of warmth, and the company of the Dutchman. He’d never felt that way about another guy before, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Max gave him a small smile, and he felt his heart flutter at this. Max was quiet for a moment, looking at their intertwined hands, before he spoke.

“I can’t guarantee you’ll survive, but I can promise you I’ll be in there with you, and I’ll protect you at all costs. Please don't forget that.” He said softly, squeezing Dan’s hand.

The pair finally felt the electric shocks go off in their wrists, indicating that it was safe for them to enter the building and search for the hostages. Dan’s breathing hitched and his grip on Max’s hand suddenly tightened. Max smiled gently.

“I’ll be right there with you, I promise.” He stood up and pulled Dan up with him.

The dark corridors seemed to go on forever, the lighting becoming darker as they headed towards the hostages. Max walked in front of Dan, glancing back at Max every few seconds to make sure he was still there. The gun in Dan’s hands felt heavy and he held it hesitantly. The stopped in front of heavy doors and Dan could see Max frown. He gave him a questioning look.

“We should have seen Jev and Sam by now.” Max whispered, looking slightly anxious.

“I think they're in here, I can hear movement from behind the doors.”

Both men braced themselves for whatever was to come. Dan waited for Max to count down and signal for them to enter the room.

What they didn't expect to see were the 5 hostages tied to chairs, ankles and wrists bound, preventing movement. Sam was currently cutting through the rope on the woman’s waist, Jev freeing her wrists.  

Suddenly Dan felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and he fell forward. He heard Max call for him, but someone kept him pressed to the ground. Dan groaned, his head throbbing, as he tried desperately to reach for the gun, which had been thrown out of his hand.

His fingers grazed the gun for just a moment. Then, another blow landed on his head and all went black.

\---

When Dan woke up, he was tied, rather uncomfortably, to a chair. He groaned in pain and slowly moved his head around to take in his surrounding. Tied to chairs on either side of him were Jev and Sam.

Daniel couldn’t turn his head far enough to see, but he could hear chairs moving behind him as well, signalling that there were more people tied behind him.

“Daniel!” Someone called out. Dan turned to the front again. Max was tied to a chair as well, directly opposite him. He seemed to be struggling to get out of the ropes, but wasn’t succeeding so far. Dan winched as he tried to focus. His head really hurt.

“Dan! Are you okay?!” Max called out again. Dan managed to nod.

Suddenly, the 2 men walked in, devilous grins on their faces. They walked over to Max, who glared at them.

“Well well well, long time no see, Verstappen.” the first one said, clasping Max’s shoulder. The second man grabbed Max’s wrists, as the first freed them from the ropes. He then cut the ropes on his ankles, before finally cutting the one on his waist, freeing him from the chair. The second man kept his grip on Max’s wrists though, restraining him. Max tried to get free, but the grip was too tight. One of the men walked over to Dan’s chair, standing behind him. Dan tensed as he heard the sound of a gun cocking.

Max stopped struggling, and instantly tensed, not quite believing the scene in front of him. The man standing with Max took out two guns, holding one up to the side of Max’s head, and holding out the other one for Max to take.

“Max, you have 2 choices here. Either you kill Daniel, right here, right now, or we kill you. Either way, one of you is dying, the choice is in your hands.” Max looked surprised, before his face suddenly hardened. He scoffed.

“You don’t really think I care about his life, do you?” he said. “You think I’m in love with him or something, that I’d die for him? That’s pathetic. Really, I thought you knew me better than that.” Max’s words hurt Daniel more than the two blows to his head. He felt tears come to his eyes and looked away from Max. That was the moment he knew he was in love, with the guy who hated him to the core, the guy who was about to kill him. He knew Max would be the death of him, but not literally.

He heard the unknown man behind him chuckle. “You might not love him, Verstappen, but this poor guy is clearly head over heels for you.” Dan winched as he heard Max scoff.

“Yeah well, some people are just weak. Even if he did love me, I wouldn’t be returning those feelings anytime soon. Heck, I’ve got a girlfriend back home.” he sneered. Dan could feel a tear slip down his cheek and he turned back to Max.

“Shoot me then.” he said, voice breaking. “If you hate me so much, shoot me. You’re already the death of me, so shoot.” Max rolled his eyes and took the gun. Taking the safety off, he aimed it directly at Dan’s heart, so he could say he broke it once and for all.

Dan felt more tears fall down his cheeks, but he tried to keep his gaze steady, holding Max’s attention whilst he shot.

Suddenly, a shot rang, but it didn’t come from Max’s gun, a second shot soon followed. Dan heard the man behind him crash to the ground with a sickening thud. The man with Max was shot in the shoulder, making him drop the gun. Dan tried to turn his head, and could only see the woman from earlier, now out of her seat, and holding the gun Daniel once held.

Dan watched as Max turned shiftly and kicked the legs out from below the man. The woman ran up to them and kept the man down, while Max ran over to Daniel.

“Dan? Are you okay?!” He seemed worried but Dan looked away.

“Just untie me.” his voice was cold. His smile was gone, all that remained was his steely brown eyes, and a fragment of a smile. Max did as he was told

“Susie, can you untie the others?” Max said, as he removed the last ropes from around Dan’s wrists. She quickly obliged, starting to cut the ropes on the curly haired man’s wrists. Max soon took to cutting Sam and Jev free from their ropes, whilst Daniel assisted Susie with freeing the others. Before they knew it, all of them were free, ready to leave the building.

Max handed Susie his gun. “You know what to do.” Susie nodded in return and walked over to Chase. Dan saw this and turned immediately, heading for the exit. This wasn’t something he wanted to be witness to. He was halfway through the hall when Max caught up with him, grabbing his wrist to stop him from walking any further. Dan pulled his hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” he hissed. “If I disgust you that much, don’t even dare touch me.” He turned to leave.

“No! Daniel, wait.” Max called out, grabbing his wrist once again. “I didn’t mean it, what I said back there… It was just to buy time. Please, you have to believe me.” his voice was low and he looked panicked. Dan hesitated momentarily, wondering if this was another trick.

"Please.” Max whispered, stepping closer. “You don’t disgust me, you never did. Those things I said, I had to do it for the satisfaction of Chase and Ross. They’d have killed me if I’d have admitted the truth. Probably the pair of us.”

“The truth?” Dan tried to sound angry, but it came out as desperate more than anything else. Max reached out and gently cupped Dan’s cheek.

“I don’t mean to make this really cliche, but I physically couldn’t have killed you. I couldn’t kill the one I loved, never.” he said softly, moving even closer. Dan didn’t know how to react, searching Max’s face for any signs he was lying. He slowly bought a hand to Max’s cheek, stroking the side of his face. He swallowed thickly and lifted his hand further, running a finger over the slightly raised skin of a scar above Max’s eyebrow. His breath momentarily hitched in his throat, too captivated by Max’s beauty.

Max took a shaky breath and leaned forward, hesitantly pressing their lips together. It was feather light at first, barely touching. When Dan didn’t pull away immediately, Max got more courage, kissing Dan more firmly. Dan’s eyes fluttered closed and kissed back, not quite believing this was reality. He could feel Max smile against his lips when he reacted, and tried to deepen the kiss further, running his hands through Max’s hair.

The moment was broken someone awkwardly clearing their throat behind them. Seven pairs of eyes stared at them, Jev in front.

“Now that you guys got that out of the way, let’s get out of here, yeah?” Both Dan and Max blushed slightly and nodded.

The 9 of them all made their way to the vehicles parked on the street, the 6am sunrise leaving a slight chill in the air. Jev, Sam and 3 of the hostages took one car, whilst Daniel, Max and the other 2 took the other car, all heading back to the city centre’s safe house.

Max drove as Dan silently sat next to him, staring out the window. Max sighed softly and took his hand.

“It’s all over now.” he whispered, more to himself than to Daniel. He didn't want to do this anymore, each mission tore him apart more than anything, losing friends and family each time. He’d lost his partner Carlos in a mission 9 months prior, his mother in a family attack 2 years before, this was just too much for him, and he couldn't handle much more.

They finally arrived back at the safe house. The five new agents went inside immediately, wanting to wash of the dirt and grime. Dan stayed outside for a bit with Max, leaning against his side. Jev and Sam came up to them. They stood in silence for a bit before Max spoke up.

“I’m not gonna beat around the bush here. I just can't do this anymore, I'm sorry. I’ve lost so many people I love, I can't keep doing this and losing those who matter. I still miss Carlos like crazy, you know, I was actually considering proposing. But that one day happened, decapitated before my own eyes, I can’t go through that again.” he looked at Dan, giving him a small smile. “And I was hoping you’d come with me, Dan.”

Daniel smiled and nodded, leaning in to kiss him again. When they pulled away they saw Jev and Sam smile at each other, Sam giving Jev an encouraging nod.

“we, ehh... “ Jev started. “Have been thinking of doing the exact same thing. We’ve been dating for 4 years now, and each day I’m thankful to still have Sam by my side. But as much as I like this lifestyle, like living on the edge, I want to settle down, know I can definitely wake up with him beside me. I don't want to live in fear, not know whether you'll be coming home some nights.” Jev allowed Sam to pull him closer and press a kiss to his temple. Dan just smiled, before pulling Max a little closer.

“We could all just stay together then. My mum’s from Perth, I'm sure she’d let us work for the coffee shop she owns.” he said, giving the other three a hopeful look. Max grinned and nodded immediately. Jev looked at Sam, who shrugged.

“I don’t see why not, even if it doesn’t work out, it’s still a good start. And in Australia, that's a new adventure for all of us. I say we do it.”

“Alright. I think the apartment above the shop has 2 bedrooms, my mum doesn't live there anymore, we can just crash there. I'll phone her to see if we can move, before packing up and shifting our stuff as soon as possible.” Dan said, a large grin on his face. All four of them were smiling now, knowing they’d be restarting their lives, with close friends and loved ones there along the way.

\---

All 4 made the move about a month after it was first discussed, moving into the apartment above the coffee shop. They started their jobs the week after moving in, and didn't look back, letting the time pass and memories be made.

They did sometimes miss their old lives as spies, but this was something new, and they enjoyed the challenges it brought. People loved the new approach they brought to the coffee shop, transforming it into one of the most popular in the city.

All 4 headed down to work at 8:00, and manned the store at all times, until close at 6:00. The hours were long, but they didn't exactly mind, they were doing what they loved and that was all that mattered.

“Hey Sam, I need more whipped cream? I think it’s in the back somewhere” Dan asked with a wink. Both him and Max knew what Sam was planning. Sam nodded as Max took over manning the coffee machine.

He made his way to the storage space at the back of the shop. Back there, he tried to calm his nerves, wiping his sweaty hands on his apron. He took the ring box he had hidden on one of the shelves and took a shaky breath.

As he walked out of the storage space again, Jev gave him a curious look.

“You know you forgot the whipped cream, right?” he said with a small smile. Sam nodded.

“Yeah… Dan doesn’t actually need any…” he said, a slight blush on his cheeks. On cue, Dan clinked together two of the metal cups they used for foaming the milk, getting the attention of the customers as well.

Sam took Jev’s hand and pulled him away from behind the bar.

“I eh… have something I want to ask you.” he said nervously. Jev frowned slightly and then nodded for him to continue.

“Jev, we’ve been together for about 5 years now, and I think it’s safe to say we've been through a lot together. Moving here was great, but even better with you by my side. I don’t want to ever leave you.” Sam slowly knelt down in front of Jev, taking out the ring box. Opening the box, he smiled, showing jev the ring inside

“Will you marry me?” Jev gaped at him for a moment, tears starting to fall from his eyes in elation. He nodded frantically at this, before finally saying his reply.

“Yes, of course I'll marry you Sam!” he said out loud, the many customers cheering at this. Sam took Jev’s left hand in his, slipping the little silver band on his ring finger. Sam finally stood up, taking Jean-Eric into a tight hug, lightly pecking his lips.

“I can't believe you're now my fiance, I've wanted this for so long!” Sam said, holding Jev close.

Max and Dan looked on, cheering for their friends. Max placed down he coffee cup he was still holding and wandered over to Dan, allowing him to wrap an arm around his back. Max leant against him with a smile.

“Maybe one day that’ll be us?” Max commented, before Daniel turned to kiss him once again.


End file.
